Review Of 1Samuel 27

– by Victor Fawole

David’s story till this point has been a mixture of highs and lows, risings and falls. He has learnt, unlearnt, and relearnt. In yesterday’s reading he passed the test of mercy in flying colours. He seemed prepared to be the king, but this high moment on the “spiritual mountaintop” was immediately followed by a low moment filled with fear. He went into panic mode and returned to the enemy’s camp, this time for refuge. This chapter is a strange one in David’s life, as there was no single mention of God at all. It is the first time in David’s life that has no reference to God. The man after God’s heart wavered and staggered. He sought refuge from outside his Refuge. Hmmmmn…

Let us review…

FAKE MADNESS BECOMES REAL!

1Sam. 27:1 And David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.”

We recall when David found himself in Gath, a migration that turned out to be a huge trouble for him. He had to feign madness and God delivered him from death. One would think that he’d never ever attempt to go to the land of the Philistines, seeing the near-death experience he had there. But here, his fake madness becomes real, because why on earth would he seek refuge from the very place where he had been marked an enemy?

In yesterday’s reading, David begged Saul not to force him into exile. He understood the dangers of living in a pagan land, because he might be too tempted to serve other gods. (1 Sam. 26:19) This crazy story began with David’s self-focused meditation. *He spoke to himself.* Not to God. When thoughts of self replace or override thoughts of God, believers easily fall into doubts and unbelief, and we may suffer bad consequences of our bad choices.

David walked by sight, not by faith. He leaned on his own understanding instead of trusting in God (Prov. 3:5). He feared man and forgot God. His faith faltered, instead of flourishing. Indeed, “the fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.” (Prov. 29:25) David was trapped by despair, doubts, and discouragement. He was anointed by Samuel to be king, and also assured by Jonathan that he’d become king. But then, his focus shifted from God’s promise. His fear of Saul swallowed his trust in God. As believers, we ought to trust in God’s promises to us. Whenever we take our eyes off our God (like Peter did in Matt. 14:29), we become doubtful and begin to sink. We must trust in the true Word of God: “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” (1Thess. 5:24).

THE POSITION OF REAL MADNESS

1Sam. 27:5 Then David said to Achish, “If I have now found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”

David’s real madness in this chapter is evidenced by his choice to become a servant to a pagan king. He surrendered himself to ungodly servitude for 16 months! And in these 16 months, there was no mention of him seeking the Lord. In fact, David did not write any psalm during his 16-month servitude under Achish. Our guy went from a physical desert to a spiritual desert. 

A man who was anointed for the position of “King over God’s people” recklessly fell into the position of “Servant to the King of God’s enemies”. What a fall! As believers, we have been granted liberty in Christ. And we have clear instructions to remain in the freedom of grace and not fall under any form of servitude. Let us take a quick scan through Galatians 5…

a. Do Not Serve The LAW!

Gal. 5:1,4 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law… For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.

Our liberty in Christ is such a great one — for we were delivered from sin. We got this freedom by grace and it can only be sustained under grace. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Rom. 6:14) We are admonished never to put ourselves under the Law, for such servitude leads to falling from grace. Avoid legalism!

b. Do Not Serve Your FLESH!

Gal. 5:13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

Our liberty in Christ is such a godly one — for we were sanctified to live holy. Our freedom is not a freedom to sin, but a freedom from sin. We are to live a life of consecration unto God and avoid the lusts of sin. For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. (1Pet. 2:16) We are admonished never to put ourselves under our flesh, for such servitude leads to a messy Christian experience. Avoid licentiousness!

THE PRODUCTION OF REAL MADNESS

1Sam. 27:8-9 And David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. For those nations were the inhabitants of the land from [d]of old, as you go to Shur, even as far as the land of Egypt. Whenever David attacked the land, he left neither man nor woman alive, but took away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the apparel, and returned and came to Achish.

David served as a mercenary soldier for King Achish. This produced and unleashed a beast in him. He did several dirty jobs for the pagan king, from which he earned a living. It must have been a lucrative job for David, lucrative enough to cater for the needs of 600 men and their families, including his own family. But then, he was serving the enemy’s cause. David practically became a marauding bandit! Talk of a sad deep spiritual decline. He feared man, forgot God, and fought for the enemy. He thought he’d get peace from Saul if he ran to Gath. He got temporary peace but more troubles. Borrowing the words of Pastor Dammy, “it was a luring to a dazzling experience and a blurring to a devastating experience.”

We read of Moses who chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. David flipped the coin, choosing the passing pleasures of sin. He moved from discouragement to desperation to defection to disobedience to deception to destruction. From a tiny village (Ziklag), David terrorized other villages who were actually enemies of Israel. Although it was an ethnic cleansing intended to purify the Land of Israel, clearing off the pagans that were not cleared under Joshua, what he did was not a clear directive from God. He was so brutal that he killed all witnesses so that Achish wouldn’t know how far he went. He deceived Achish to make him think that he was raiding his own people in Israel. He earned his loyalty to Achish by deceiving him. So, whenever David attacked those villages, he did it without God’s permission, without provocation, under false pretenses, and with brutality. 

Dear Gogolights, we have seen David at a low point. Fear pushed him to run to the Philistines, and his logic replaced faith. For 16 months, the man after God’s heart lived without a recorded prayer, a psalm, or a word from God. This is instructive for us. True safety is never in Gath. May we not sin in order to win in life. May we not compromise in order to rise in life. May we not bow in order to wow in life. May we not fail in order to prevail in life. May we not lie in order to fly in life. Amen!

Thank you for reading and also sharing your reflections.

See you tomorrow, beloveds.

Grace to you, Church!